Writing for R3 Media since 2006, Chris Davies is currently executive editor for SlashGear and Android Community. Based in San Francisco, he's responsible for SlashGear's editorial decisions and covers all forms of consumer technology. You can follow him on Twitter.

The Chromecast has now got a big brother, the ASUS Chromebit, packing a full Chromebook into an HDMI dongle that can turn any display into a Chrome OS computer. Plugging straight into a spare HDMI port, and running exactly the same Chrome OS software as any other Chrome machine, the stick marks a further expansion in form-factors for the platform, which began with straightforward notebooks but has since progressed to desktops, all-in-ones, and convertible tablets. It's also promising to be one of the most inexpensive ways to play with Google's web-centric software.

Google is upgrading Chrome OS to better suit touchscreens and convertibles, as well as throwing open the doors to Android developers wanting their apps to run on Chromebooks. The new version, Chrome OS v.42, is currently in beta, with the most noticeable change being a revamped launcher that integrates Google Now. Promising faster access not only to your most frequently-used apps courtesy of a new shortcut row, the new launcher also includes all the same proactive prompts that you can get on Android phones and Android Wear smartwatches. That's not the only sign of the gap narrowing between Android and Chrome OS, however.

Chrome OS has arguably always been best at its very cheapest, and now Hisense and Haier are looking to drive the cost of cloud-centric computing even lower, with a pair of $149 Chromebooks. Targeting not only budget-conscious families, schools, and businesses, but developing markets keen to get online, the two laptops each run Chrome OS on Rockchip's 3288 quadcore chipset. And, while they may be a world away from the Pixel in price, Google insists the recently-updated premium Chromebook had a hand in the design of the budget duo.

We've had cheap and cheerful Chromebooks, and expensive, high-end flagships like Pixel, but ASUS has finally delivered a premium-feeling Chrome OS convertible at a price you'll do a double-take at. Intended to raise the stakes for Windows notebooks, not to mention undercut more than a few tablets, the ASUS Chromebook Flip manages to deliver a Full HD IPS touchscreen, a convertible hinge, and fully metal construction for just $249.

Mazda's 2016 MX-5 Miata was already shaping up to be the return to form Miata owners were hoping for, and the confirmed pricing for the fun-focused droptop suggests Mazda has ticked the right box there, too. The diminutive two-seater was revealed back in September 2014, eschewing the increasingly chunky design language of it predecessors in favor of something more curvaceous. Set to hit forecourts in the US this summer, the Miata will kick off at $24,915 for the Sport model, a figure which gets you at least one interesting feature.

Tesla will reveal a "major" new product at the end of April, CEO Elon Musk has teased, but don't expect a new car. The outspoken chief exec took to Twitter to announce the April 30th launch, which will take place at Tesla's Hawthorne Design Studio in California. While exactly what's on the agenda hasn't been confirmed, recent chatter points to the new product being a battery system intended for domestic use, rather than to power an electric vehicle.

Electric transportation company Gogoro has announced its first pilot cities for its Smartscooter, with EV trials kicking off in Taipei City and New Taipei City this summer. Revealed at CES in January, the Gogoro Smartscooter promises up to 60 miles of driving on a single charge, at which point its removable battery packs can be simply swapped out at a Gogoro Energy Network "Go Station" rather than demanding to be plugged into the wall. I caught up with CEO Horace Luke to find out more.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has taken a public stance on anti-gay legislation being enacted in states across the US, challenging his business counterparts to speak out on discrimination. "These bills rationalize injustice by pretending to defend something many of us hold dear," Cook wrote today in an opinion piece published by the Washington Post. "They go against the very principles our nation was founded on, and they have the potential to undo decades of progress toward greater equality." Lest critics accuse the openly-gay Cook of hoping for special treatment, however, the Apple chief exec points out that there are solid business reasons for equality.

Ask Nintendo 64 owners what their favorite game was and, after a little reminiscing, many will tell you Super Mario 64. Now, you can relive the classic 3D title - or at least its first level - all in the comfort of your browser. Handiwork of Erik Roystan Ross, the recreation of Nintendo's 1996 masterpiece can be played online or through the browser, using either the keyboard or a gamepad controller from either Microsoft or Sony's stables.

Weaponized GIFs are apparently the new way to make serious points more flippant online, with Google smacking back at News Corp. criticism that the search giant had made a habit of hanging around the White House. Google had been accused of chasing undue political influence, with the News Corp. owned Wall Street Journal suggesting it was sneaky maneuvering that saw Google escape FTC censure over activities contrary to the public interest. Key to the accusations was a count of the number of times Google had visited senior officials since President Obama took office.